Electric branding iron



April 3, 1956 D. M. NICHOLSON Em 2,740,878

ELECTRIC BRANDING IRON I Il if if!! If .nr Il Il Il INI/ENTORS. Dona/d M. Nicholson Filed Oct. 4, 1954 Rober Wang BY ATTORNEYS United States Patent O ELECTRIC BRANDIN G IRON Donald M. Nicholson and Robert Wang, Denver, Colo., assignors to Nicholson Manufacturing, Inc., Denver, Colo., a corporation of Colorado Application October 4, 1954, Serial No. 459,873

7 Claims. (Cl. 219-30) This invention relates to branding irons, and particularly to electric branding irons suitable for range branding.

In range branding, when large numbers of animals are to be branded, it is necessary, when employing the conventional type of branding iron, to provide a number of duplicate brands so that time is not lost because of reheating. Electric branding irons have been provided heretofore with a View to eliminating the reheating problems and various forms of such irons have been devised; some of these prior art irons have not been designed for heavy duty work, while others have not had all the requirements of range or heavy duty branding. Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved electric branding iron suitable for heavy duty range branding.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds and the features of novelty which characterize the invention will be pointed out with particularity in the the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specitication.

Briefly, in carrying out the objects of this invention, an electric branding iron is provided which includes an elongated handle which may be gripped and held in two hands and a hollow cup-shaped head to which is secured a removable heat-conducting brand element, the brand being formed on the face of this element. The handle structure is tubular and provided with suitable grips, and electrical leads are carried through the handle to the interior of the head and are rigidly held by refractory cement filling the handle. A clamping arrangement is provided for securing the heating element to the brand element so that it is readily removable and also for securing the brand element to the cup-shaped head. Ventilating openings fo rthe circulation of air through the head are provided and low conductivity elements are inserted to minimize the transfer of heat from the branding element to the head.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is an elevation View of the branding iron embodying this invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional View of a portion of the handle of the iron of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the face of the branding element;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4 4 of Fig. l, and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view along the 90 degree section dened by the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

As shown in Fig. l, the branding iron comprises an elongated hollow handle 10, to one end of which is attached a cup-like head member 11, the upper end of the head 11 having an internally threaded opening into which is threaded the main or lower supporting tubular section 12 of the handle 1i). The lower end of the head Patented Apr. 3, 1956 11, as viewed inv Fig. 1, is open and three equally spaced lugs 13 are provided about the periphery of the open end and a disc shaped branding element or iron 14 is secured against the ends of the lugs 13; Ventilating openings are thus provided between the head and the brand. The brand is formed on the base of the iron 14, as indicated at 1S, and because it is a closed brand is provided with openings 16 which atord passage of steam during the branding operation. The upper portion of the handle comprises a tube 17 of suitable heat insulating material such as libre fitted over and secured to the upper half of the section 12. Upper and lower hand grips 18 and 19, respectively, are provided on the tube 17 for holding the iron during branding operations. As shown in Fig. 2, the insulating tube 17 is tted tightly over the upper half of the main supporting tube 12, which is constructed of iron or other suitable metal to give the required strength and resistance to heat, and the upper grip 18 is fitted over the upper end of the tube 17 on a thin bre liner or sleeve 18a and is secured in position by screws 20 and 21 which penetrate the tube 17. The grip 19 is a resilient rubber grip and is held in position between two collars 22 and 23 which are secured to the tube 17 by pointed screws 24 which are tightened against the tube 12 and hold the collars rigidly in place, The resilient rubber grip, which preferably has a roughened outer surface, provides a secure grip and minimizes slipping of the operators hand. The grip 1S may be constructed of Wood, plastic, or other suitable material of low heat conductivity.

As shown in Fig. 3, the brand element 14 and the brand 15 are cast integrally. The brand element is cast from a metal of high heat conductivity and, for example, may be of aluminum bronze which has the advantage of resisting corrosion and rust. The element 14 is cast with three shallow recesses 26 which fit the lugs 13 to locate the brand on the head and to prevent relative rotation therebetween. sage of heat between the brand 14 and the head 11, insulators of mica, or other suitable heat resisting material, are inserted between the ends of the lugs and the branding iron iron against the walls of the recesses 26.

In order to heat the brand 14, a at circular sheathed electric heater 28 is clamped against the brand member 14 by a steel cross piece 30 which extends diametrically across the heater and is secured to the brand 14 by a bolt 31. The heater has a diameter slightly less than the internal diameter of the head and is thus spaced therefrom. Conduction of heat to the clamp 30 is minirnized by a strip of heat insulating material 32 which is placed between the clamp and the surface of the heater 28. An insulating washer is also located between the clamp 30 and a Washer 34 under the head of the bolt 31. The brand iron and heater assembly is securely held in position against the lugs 13 by a pair of bolts 35 which pass through a boss 36, in which the handle section tube 12 is threaded, and extend downwardly to engage the clamping bar 30 in which the lower ends of the bolts 35 are threaded. It will thus be apparent that the branding iron 14 may be drawn tightly against the cup-like head 11 so that the head assembly is rigid. Electric leads 38 extend through the tubular handle 12 from a pair of plug terminals 39 mounted in a plug 40 at the upper end of the tube and extend downwardly through the tube through terminals 41 and 42 at the two ends of the circular heater 28. The leads 33 within the head 11 are made of sufficient length that they allow easy removal of the brand assembly 14 without requiring disconnecting of the leads from the terminals 41 and 42. The cup-like form of the head 11 provides a retecting surface which reduces the loss of heat by radiation from the top side of the brand 14, heat radiated In order to minimize the pas-` .graders from the top being reflected back to the branding iron. The outer face of the head M is preferably polished. The leads 38 are preferably imbedded in a suitable rigid heat insulating material d5, preferably a refractory cement, which is poured into the holler handle and sets or cures therein. A refractory cement which expands on curing is preferred in order to secure a more rigid handle stricture; such cernents expand the fibre tube i7 slightly and hold the handle 18 rigidly in position. A suitable refractory cement for this purpose is that sold by Orefraction inc. of Pittsburgh, iennsylvania onde trade name Orelectric Cement,

The brand assembly is rigidly held in place and the circular electric heater assures rapid and even heating 'of the brand. The weight of the branding iron is concentrated at the head end which greatly faci :ttes .handling and assures ease of operation. 'The brand assen-ibly may readily be detached by removing the bolts 35, should it be desired to replace the brand or the heater they may be detached easily by removing the bolt Ell, whereupon the replacement part may be secured in place and then the assembly clamped to the head il by the bolts 35,

The entire assembly is simple and rugged, while at the same time, providing an electric brand which may be used for a long period of time without overheating and without discomfort to the operator.

While a specific form of the invention has been illustrated and described, various modications changes will occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is not desired that the invention be limited to the specific details illustrated and described, and it is intended by the appended claims to cover all modifications which fall Within the spirit and scope of the invention.

We claim:

l. An electric branding iron comprising an elongated handle, a cup-like supporting head member, having its closed end secured to one end of said handle its open end extending away therefrom, a disc-like brand member adapted to be positioned on the open side of said head and comprising a base of high conductivity metal and a brand formed on the front face thereof, an electric heating element, means for holding said heating element in heat conducting relationship with said brand member on the back face thereof, one of said members having spaced lugs formed thereon and extending toward the other member, means for clamping said members together to retain said brand member rigidly in position on said head member whereby openings are provided between said lugs about the peripheries of said members, and electric supply conductors extending through said handle to said head member for connection with said heater.

2. An electric branding iron, as set forth in claim l, wherein said other member is provided with recesses for receiving the ends of said lugs and heat resisting elements of low heat conductivity are arranged between the Walls of said recesses and said lugs for minimizing the conduction of heat from said base to said head member.

3. An electric branding iron, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said electric heating element is a hat circular element of slightly less diameter than that of said base, and said holding means for said element comprises a metallic bar extending diametrically across said heater and centrally clamped to said base, and in which said clamping means comprises bolts securing said bar to said head member whereby said bar may be drawn towards said head member to effect the clamping together of said members.

4. An electric branding iron, as set forth in claim l, wherein said head member is formed as a curved bowl whereby it reflects radiant heat back to said branding member, and said handle comprises a metal tube secured to said head member, and an insulating tube spaced from said head member and secured over said metal tube and provided with handles for manipulating the branding iron.

5. A branding iron as set forth in claim 4, including an electric plug connection in the end of the handle remote from said head member and in which said conductors are secured to said plug connection and are of sufficient length to afford removal of said branding member and heater from said head member without disconnecting said conductors.

6. An electric branding iron as set forth in claim 3 wherein said clamp bar is spaced from said head member and a heat insulating member is mounted between said bar and said heater to minimize the passage of heat by conduction to said bar.

7. An electric branding iron as set forth in claim l wherein said handle is hollow and said electric con ductors are retained rigidly in place therein by a mass of refractory cement filling said handle.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 709,602 `lenkins et al Sept. 23, 1902 1,006,756 Jordan Oct. 24, 1911 1,157,687 Garner et al. Uct. 26, 1915 1,612,220 Ravella Dec. 28, 1926 1,960,776 Flothow May 29, 1934 

